Psychological & Brain Sciences
Research Interests
My research leverages techniques from neuroscience and endocrinology to explore how sex steroid hormones impact human brain function across hormonal transition periods (e.g., menopause). My goal is to improve the utility of sex hormones as markers of vulnerability for neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders that are disproportionately skewed towards women, including major depression and Alzheimer's disease.
Mentoring Experiences
The existing dogmas in the field of neuroscience that have held scientific progress back - especially as it pertains to women's health - are in part due to a lack of awareness that there even are oversights. I believe training eager undergraduate students to identify critical knowledge gaps and care deeply about the impact their scientific endeavors can have on human health and society is where we begin to fix this oversight. My favorite question to pose to each mentee has been "what topics keep you up at night?". Watching them enjoy the process and become increasingly independent and passionate about their work has been the most rewarding experiences of my PhD career. I have no doubt that each one of my mentees will mold the minds of the next generation and work to make science more equitable, which makes me enormously proud.
Meaning of the Award
Changing the scientific landscape does not rely solely on our research efforts, but in our ability to help others gain access to science. It is an honor to have my mentorship efforts be recognized by the Fiona and Michael Goodchild Graduate Mentoring Award. I hope to spend every day of my career inspiring trainees to ask pressing scientific questions, challenge existing dogmas, and figure out what drives them. As such, I remain committed to finding new and exciting ways to teach students about opportunities in STEM and to highlight how their unique perspectives can drive science forward.